The night grew darker, and the only light for miles around was his firelight and the dim twinkle of stars wheeling overhead. I noticed his brothers depart the clearing, but Olezka never slowed his pace. Erebus bowed and turned to follow, and the soft strains of his guitar slowly faded until they disappeared. Still, Olezka performed.
He did twists and turns with the fire stick that seemed impossible then added acrobatic feats that brought the fire sticks closer to me and made my heart skip a beat. His fire couldn’t burn him, but Roman’s fire and the fire Timur contributed certainly would. But he showed complete control and dominion over the fire as he moved closer until I felt the intensity of their combined fires. Teasingly close, yet never too close. He was careful and precise.
Finally, the fires started to gutter and flicker. Olezka covered both ends of the fire sticks with his hands, now down to glowing embers, and snuffed them out.
“Vam eto ya obeshchayu.”
Silence reigned between us for several long minutes before he lifted his eyes to meet mine, his irises burning with the fire he’d just extinguished.
“My life, my fires, my family. We are yours,” he finished.
My heart swelled from the weight of his words and the ferocity with which he said them. I knew he would never back down from his word – that he and his family had accepted me as theirs.
I took a shaky breath. “Am I supposed to say something? Because I really feel like I should,” I whispered, cupping his cheeks gently.
He smiled, nuzzling his lips against the palm of my hand. “Nyet, my Sixx. You did just fine. Thank you for allowing me this honor.”
“Thank you for honoring me with this,” I responded, leaning forward and pressing a kiss against his lips. But where I was gentle, he was passionate, grabbing my hips and pulling me off the log and onto his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Olezka! We should be careful; you’re still healing.”
“Nyet. I feel whole when I have you in my arms,” he growled. He deepened the kiss and threaded his fingers through my hair.
I smiled against his lips, groaning when his tongue sought entrance. “I hate to see how hellhounds introduce their mates,” I whispered as he trailed kisses down my neck. He nipped the skin, and my body reacted with a spine-tingling tremor. I gasped at the intensity and tucked my face into the side of his neck.
“You saw some of it just now with the fight between Timur and me, followed by the fight with Roman. I had to prove my worth to my mate in front of my brothers,” Olezka explained.
I nodded and returned the favor, nipping him on his neck. He growled.
“Our room?” I whispered.
“Da.”
Chapter 24
Thankfully, Olezka and I weren’t disturbed the rest of the evening. It was nice to have a pocket of time that belonged only to us, but that was what it was, a mere pocket of time. We quickly learned how bad things had devolved in the Veil while we were gone. Timur knocked on our door early the next morning to wake us for an important meeting with Erebus and his small council. Erebus had graciously skipped coming back the night before and allowed Olezka and me time to be together after our ritual.
As soon as Timur left after waking us this morning, Erebus entered and explained more of the situation. The Light Fae were under the impression that I was mated to Erebus. The rumor went that Olezka was merely sent to guard me, and they happened to find the Light Princess through me. I didn’t know where the rumor came from, but I had a feeling Key had a hand in it. His recent actions showed he wanted to cage me to use me against my best friend.
Roman remained in the Veil even though he hated it there. With all three brothers here, it reminded me I still had to tell them about Illarion.
“I refuse to allow her to go,” Olezka said, keeping a possessive hold on my knee. I both loved and felt guilty about the night we’d spent together. I twitched at the contact, which he noticed and for which he gave me side-eye. Not the first time today, either.
“This is the only way to save Anastasia.” Erebus gave me a pointed look.
I knew he was using my best friend against me, but, I mean, it worked. After failing so many others, I wouldn’t fail Ana.
“We’ll be fine, Olezka. I’m sure Erebus already has a plan in place.”
“Nyet,” Olezka insisted. “I have claimed you and promised you my life. Where you go, I go.”
And that was the end of that conversation. Even now, I felt like nothing more than a pawn sitting there, waiting to be told what to do. After what happened with Olezka in the fighting rings, I realized how fragile this life was and how easily those I loved could be ripped away. Not only him but his brothers, whom I considered family as they considered me theirs. Then there was Ana. Right now, she was the one whose life was in the most danger. I would do anything to help my best friend.
She should have been by my side during our failed attempt at infiltrating the fighting rings. She should have been the one in charge. As abysmal of a failure as my attempt to go rogue was, I was ready to follow their plans to a “T.”
After offering a brief explanation, Erebus walked with us to the meeting room. Olezka was on edge, keeping a protective arm wrapped around my body. Erebus took his place and watched us closely while the others, Timur and Roman included, greeted our entrance with little interest. I assumed everyone else already knew what was going on.
Erebus got down to the nitty-gritty of it all pretty quickly. Actually, before my butt even hit the seat. He started by giving everyone a rundown of the information he’d gotten from an inside informant with the Light Kingdom. His informant provided details about the ball that was being planned. Apparently, the Light Kingdom started preparing for a ball where they would announce Ana as the long-lost Princess the moment we left to go back into the human realm. At first, I was nervous that too much time had passed here, but Erebus assured us only a couple of weeks had passed since we left.
“Olezka, you must remain calm!” Erebus snapped for the fifth time since the meeting started.
“She will wear your family colors, yet she is my mate,” Olezka bellowed possessively.
“I don’t want your human; I want my fucking mate back!” Erebus roared. A dark aura surrounded him, and the temperature dropped thirty degrees, enough to make the vapor of my breath turn into white puffs of smoke. Olezka’s body kicked up in heat, making mine respond in kind, staving off the chill.
“Maybe we should all take a little breather?” I offered. The amount of testosterone in the room was choking, especially with Erebus and Olezka both posturing and puffing out their chests.
“That would be for the best,” Timur agreed.
That was the first time someone else in the room had spoken up since Olezka and Erebus began their screaming match. As King and Head Guard glared at one another, the members of Erebus’s council quietly filed out of the room, leaving us there with Timur and Roman. Olezka finally stood, encouraging me to leave with him.
“Maybe we can find something to eat?” I asked, trying to distract him with food.
“Da.”
“Why don’t you go ahead of me, and we’ll meet up in your room?”
“Nyet. I do not trust you with him,” Olezka growled, glancing at Erebus angrily.
“You’re being extra possessive right now,” I muttered.
“Yeah, he would be. He only claimed you recently. Most of our mom’s side of the family wouldn’t leave their den for weeks!” Roman butted in, joining us.
Timur laughed at my expression, a mixture of horror, embarrassment, and the tiniest bit of curiosity. I loved the idea of having that much alone-time with my mate, but the fact that his brothers knew what we were up to… Nope.
I took a deep breath and decided to come clean about Illarion. “Look, there’s something I need to talk to you guys about, anyway. Maybe we can all do lunch?”
Roman gave us his I’m up to no good smile and slapped Olezka on the shoulder. “She decided to keep us all. Excellent!
”
Olezka growled, pushing me behind him and launching himself at his brother.
“Take this moment of distraction for yourself, kroshka.” Timur winked at me before jumping into the fray with his brothers. Olezka was growling loudly as he wrestled with his brothers. If I didn’t know how much he cared for his family, I would be worried about Roman. But I also recognized what Timur and Roman were doing for me; giving me much-needed time to discuss things with Erebus.
The Dark Fae King watched as Roman and Timur’s wrestling gradually moved Olezka out of his expansive office. As the growls and grunts faded, I took a moment to glance around the room. It was all warm woods, ancient books, and of course, wicked-looking weapons. It wasn’t the first time I’d been in this room, and I had a feeling it would be far from my last.
“They’ve accepted you into the family,” Erebus noted with a hint of longing in his voice.
“It would seem so.” I paused before looking up at the terrifying King of all of the Dark Fae, creatures that were the spotlight of every human’s nightmares. “If you truly care for her, then you must know she won’t like you putting me in danger,” I advised.
“But you won’t allow us to execute the plan without you, either. Am I correct?”
“Actually, no. I know my limitations. But I will agree to help because my presence is needed to make this plan succeed. But don’t push him so far. Allow me to wear neutral colors. It will throw the Light Fae off track. They’ll believe you and I haven’t completed our bonding and…” I swallowed.
Images of humans trussed up like cattle in the Light Fae village right outside the castle flashed through my head. My stomach soured with what I was about to suggest.
“We should consider using a decoy,” I added. “Key knows who I am to Olezka. I’m not sure how he plans to use that to his advantage, but if he tells the Light King…”
Erebus glanced at me speculatively, tapping his chin. “The other human would be a decoy in case the King knows of your relationship with Olezka.”
“I think it would be best, yes. The King might know, but he still has to put on a show for the rest of the Kingdom unless he wants to give himself away,” I said around the lump in my throat. How could I willingly put another human in their crossfires? The games these fae played with humans were disastrous to anyone unfortunate enough to play a starring role.
“You’ve become rather pale. Anything you wish to discuss, Sixx?”
“Just promise me that the other human you use will be protected.”
“I’ll do everything in my power to assure her safety, but you will be the priority because everyone will think you’re my mate,” Erebus said with a calculating look in his eye.
“We need to be smart about it.”
“I will be,” he assured me. “We will resume our meeting shortly. For now, you should rest. Spindwella will be by this afternoon to create a couple of dresses for you as well as traveling clothes. Teleporting between lands is strictly forbidden, so we’ll have to travel on foot through the Light Lands.”
I nodded and turned to leave the room. The hardest part of my day was about to begin. I would tell my mate and his brothers about their brother Illarion.
“And, Sixx?”
I stopped in the doorway and looked back at Erebus.
“I am happy for him. For you both.”
****
The brothers grabbed an array of food for us in the dining room. Olezka met me halfway from Erebus’s office, and we walked to the dining room together. The meal was a quiet affair. Roman had a shiny new black eye, and Timur looked slightly smug.
I saw echoes of Illarion in their features, and it broke my heart. I imagined he would feel right at home with these goofs. My heart constricted painfully when I realized he would probably never get the opportunity.
My mouth was dry. Even when I tried to swallow, I ended up coughing instead.
“Are you alright, Sixx?” Olezka asked, concerned.
“Yeah. Um…” Panic squeezed in my chest, and I felt my nerve dwindling away into nothing.
Timur’s gaze narrowed at the panicky look that started to flit over my features. He was more sensitive than the other two. “She’s just nervous about facing Spindwella again!” Timur laughed and gave me a pointed look when the other two glanced at me.
I just nodded, agreeing with him. “She’s a lot to take in.”
Olezka grunted. “I will take your measurements and tell her to create elsewhere,” he said, unnecessarily protective.
My eyes widened at that. Oh, hell no. “No, you will not!” I screeched. It was one thing for him to see me naked. And, sure – he saw everything last night, but to get a tape out and measure me? I was still shaking my head when Timur spoke.
“We need to hurry this along. Erebus is ready to resume the meeting. We,” he nodded at his brothers, “need to return there, while Sixx goes back to your room to wait for Spindwella. She will inform you about the Light Fae customs observed at balls and formal gatherings. She is well versed.”
“I will escort you back, Sixx,” Olezka said, his finger trailing my thigh. My cheeks heated with desire and a little bit of embarrassment—especially when Timur’s nostrils flared and he gave us both a look.
“Nyet. If you two disappear together, I dare say we won’t see Olezka again for many nights. You must remain separated,” Timur said with a firm nod. “Roman, take our wily brother back to the war room. I will escort Sixx safely to your room.”
“Nyet,” Olezka responded stubbornly. “I will take care of my mate.”
“No, brat, you need to be in the war room to discuss the safety of your mate.”
That seemed to win Olezka over. He growled and kissed me deeply before we parted ways. When he trailed his finger over the curve of my cheek, I leaned into his touch, savoring the delicious tendrils of warmth filling me from the inside out. Timur pulled me away gently, and we left his brothers behind.
“What was it that you wanted to tell us?” Timur asked once we were out of earshot.
I breathed in and shook my head. I knew he was more intuitive and seemed to read the emotions of others, which made me wonder why he’d artfully diverted the conversation away from what I’d planned to reveal. Not only that, but Olezka was usually very observant when it came to me. He usually caught on to these sorts of things. It proved he was still weakened from Key’s drugs even if he refused to show it. I could tell Roman was holding back during their little scramble earlier, so I wasn’t the only one who saw it. Now we would have to leave for the Light Fae Kingdom within a matter of hours. We barely had any time to prepare, rest, and recharge for the looming mission.
“Sixx?”
Timur’s voice interrupted my inner thoughts and reminded me we were talking. That I had horrible news to deliver. I didn’t even know how to start. Blurting it out seemed wrong, but Timur was the eldest brother. He maintained a sense of calm about him that I’d noted from the first time we met. He would take anything I said in stride.
I began, “When I was in the fighting rings… I came face to face with someone. I’m so sorry I couldn’t save him.” I knew I was rambling, but if I stopped talking, I knew I wouldn’t easily regain my courage. My hands fidgeted, and I brushed the hair away from my face, clearly agitated. “Then, when Olezka… he was so badly hurt, you see, and I was so upset…”
“Sixx.”
“And I’ve been sick to my stomach every time I think about how much I let you guys down. I should have done more to protect him! But –”
“Sixx.”
I paused and stared at Timur, my eyes wide and guilty.
“Speak clearly, kroshka.”
“I failed Illarion again.”
****
Timur’s face paled, and he became eerily quiet. I took the opportunity to tell him the details of what happened in the cells and how their brother left with Key for the High Fae’s promise to leave me alone. Timur dropped me off at Olezka’s room without another word. I
wanted to call out and ask him to say something, but the words died in my throat. Instead, I listlessly walked into the room, certain my mate and his brothers, who’d once considered me family, would hate me. It left me with a sense of impending dread but also purpose. If they rejected me, I would throw myself into saving the only family I had left – Ana.
Spider – well, Spindwella, as I’d recently come to learn her real name – arrived a few minutes after Timur left and started my dress fitting for outfits more befitting a supposed Queen-to-be. I felt awkward and stiff in the clothing, an imposter. I sat on the bed as she discussed fabrics and colors with three brownies she’d brought along to assist her efforts.
“Dear human, are you paying attention to me?” Spindwella asked.
I blinked and looked up at her, my thoughts swirling in a turbulent tornado of regret and guilt.
“Tsk, tsk.”
Mild shock hit me. I didn’t think she could or would lower herself to make such a sound.
“You need to focus, human,” she said, her multiple eyes glittering on her arachnid form. “You think you are safe in these lands because the King is momentarily kind to your plight, but remember – you are no more than a fly embroiled in a spider’s web. Never stop struggling.”
A chill skittered down my spine at the image. From that moment, I decided to pay closer attention to the lessons she imparted to me about Light Fae customs. She told me humans were considered less than Lower Fae, which I already knew. They were considered no more than pets if even that. Though she didn’t go into details, I had already seen the extent of the way the Light Fae treated humans unfortunate enough to be in their lands.
Which made me wonder… If the Light Fae found the humans to be so distasteful, how did Ana come to be?
“In the palace, do not allow yourself to be separated from your fake mate or your real one,” Spindwella insisted. “The Light Fae will not hesitate to steal a female away, especially you because of your status to Erebus and that of your friendship to their lost princess. Stealing you would torture King Erebus and garner them great favor with the Light King,” she explained shrewdly.
Sixx and the Incubus: The Sidekick Chronicles Page 17